Amphibian harness



Feb. 8, 1944. E. T. TODD 2,341,166

Feb. 8, 1944.

E. T. TODD AMPHIBIAN HRNESS Filed March 15, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 8, 1944. E. T.TODD

AMPHIBIAN HAR-NESS 4 Sheets-sheet 4 Filed March 15, 1943 Patented Feb. 8, 1944- UNITED STATES PATENT OFF'lCE mesne assigmnents, -to General Motorscorporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 15, 1943, Serial No. 479349 12 Claims.

This invention relates to the coupling of standard transport carriers for conjoint use in handling loads of weight and bulk greater than can be accommodated byone such Vehicle alone.

Convenient, and suitable transportation facilities for moving an army and supplies are needed for successiul warfare. This includes movement of land equipment over water where bridges and boats are not available and calls for building of temporary bridges and errying rafts. Amphibious vehicles 'are now in military use and in generality consist of conventional motor road vehicleshaving -the usual engine driven Wheels but being fitted additionally with buoyant bodies and motor driven propellers. Such Vehicles operate either in water or on land and can go from one Operation to the other -at any available beach. While the present-invention is not limited to the use of any one type of transport Carrier or 'even motorized bargeequipment, it has been developed with reference 'to work with amphibians and will be described as applied thereto.

It is an object of theinvention to provide strong but light weight equipment for coupling two or more conveyances for combined usage as a pontoon bridge or as a raft, for either Wet or -dry errying purposes, and which equipment can be set up and dismantled manually and quickly and when not in use can be stored in small space.

A further object of the invention is to provide each Vehicle on both sides thereof with a series oflongitudinally spaced anchor hooks for selective engagement in predetermined relation by rigid strut or compression members extending between the sides near-the tops of neighboring conveyances arranged side by side and by tension 'members -projecting diagonally, some upwardly and others downwardly from one conveyance to the Other to prevent the bottoms of the conveyances from spreading apart relative to 'each Other-or in other words to maintain the conveyances on even keel even though applied load is con-centratedalong adjacent sides of the neighboring coupled conveyances.

a Other objects will become apparent in the course of the following detail description having reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of an arrangement suitable .for dry ferrying of a tank or other'typeof load; Figure 2 isa ragmentary detailzviewof a hinged joint between tread sections; as viewed on line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective -view showing another form of dry ferry; Figure 4 is an elevation O several transport carriers vcoupled .together as a pontoon bridge across a river; Figure ,5 illustrates a wet fferrying arrangement; Figure 6 shows a tandem set of two' pairs of carriers for the dry errying of' an extra heavy load; Figure'l -is an enlarged elevation of a coupling equipment with the upper spreader bar in section; Figure 8 is 'a pla-n view as seen von. line 8-8 of Figure 7 and :Figure 9 is al detail view of 'a supporting bar truss arrangement'. f i

As usedjhereinthe expression "dry ferry" refiers to arrangements in which the load is carried entirely ,above the water level and the expression "Wet erry refers to arrangements in which .the loadis suspended in thespace between a pair of carriers and at least partially under water. Wet ferrying is-feasible for certain types of1loads,inc'luding large tanks having watertight hulls. One of 'the advantages of wet ferryingis that the carriers are re'lieved of part of the load, depending On the extent of buoyancy of the load, the carriers bearing only the residual weight.

Each amphibian consists of a buoyant body in the form of a watertight hull l having cargospace behind the Operator's Cab .and being mounted on a spring suspended chassis, including automotive type .running gear of which .the Wheels are indicated 'by the numeral 2. For land operation. power is transmitted through the running gear to theroad wheels 2 from anengine moun-ted in the hull ahead of the drivefs seat. 'Power takeoff mechanism enables the engine to drive a stern mounted bladed propelle 2' for :wa-ter travel. Additional power takeofi mechanism is provided .to operate a rearwardly mounted wnch Or cable winding drum 3 in accordance with military truck requirements. The normal ;intended use of the Vehicle is as anindividual-unit for operation primarily on land without dependence on bridges and ferries for Crossing or traveling-:on lakes, streams and other bodies of water.

' 'When moving in a convoy or g'roup which includes other types of land equipment and .the need arises to cross a body of water where other suitable facilities are unava-ilable the individual buoyant units ;obviously can .be Combined :with one .another for serving the other equipment; For .practical purposes the 'coupling apparatus should .involve a few .small parts which canlbe set up Quickly. Accordingly .it is gproposed to .arrangethe-transportcarriers in side by sidespaced relation-with the load placed between themnfor equal .distribution and supported hy transverse' bars which .to conserve storage .space Lare no longer' than ,the spacingjbetween the vehicles and, therefore, rest on ,the ,adjacent .sides .of' the two carriers. Additional ties in the form of diagonally extending cables hold the carriers against displacement and guard against tipping or side rolling under load applied along the adjacent sides of the interconnected carriers.

Various placements of the tie coupling members longitudinally of the carriers may be made, depending on the type of loading employed. For universal use each transport carrier is provided along both sides With upper and lower groups of anchor fastenings or hooks for quick attachment and detachment of the coupling parts in desired combinations. For simplcity the drawings do not show all of the fastenings in all of the Views inasmuch as their number and location can be Varied to meet particular needs. Each upper fastening connection is conveniently mounted along the top side corner of the hull I and as best seen in Figures 7 and 8 consists of a coupling bracket 4 bolted in place with 'twin' hook extensions and cooperating pivoted latching jaws. Instead of double hooks on each hitch bracket single hook brackets are contemplated for some purposes. spaced Vertically below the upper bitches and as close as practicable to the hull underside are carried a series of longitudinally spaced attachment eyes 5.

When the carriers are to be coupled and preferably before they are run into the water a predetermined number of lines or flexible cables 6 are hooked at one end to selected eyes 5. After the carriers are maneuvered into the water in side by side relation the opposite end of each cable 6 is made fast to a transversely aligned upper -hook 4 on the companion carrier so that a number of cables extend from points below the water level near the bottom of each carrier and across the intervening space diagonally upwardly above the water line to the top of the other carrier (see Figure 7). Now if the inter- Vening space is bridged by a number of longitudinally spaced transverse rigid spacer bars together with suitable diagonal braces as indicated at 'l in Figure 6 extending between longitudinally spaced points on the carriers definite transverse spacing, and alignment of the carriers will be maintained with the cables 6 acting in tension to resist spreading of the carriers or outward tilting about their upper connections with the rigid compression members.

The spreader bar may be of any suitable construction but preferably includes a screw jack for varying its length. In Figure 7 the bar is illustrated as a pair of telescopic sections 8 and &with the main section 8 in the form of a long hollow tube receiving in one end the shorter solid section 9. At its other end the tube 8 has welded thereto the shank of an eye lll to be fitted to the hitch coupling 4. Similarly the section 9 at its outer end is formed with an eye ll for detachable engagement with one of the hitch couplings. Near its internested end the section 9'has a diametrical opening into which is fitted a cross pin 12 whose projecting ends are slidable in slots or ways in the tube 8 to limit the range of telescopic adjustment and retain the parts in assembled relation whil allowing easy extension of the parts for installation. For a screw jack adjustment the section 9 is threaded and carries a nut |3 for abutment with the adjacent end of the tube 8. The nut |3 is of special design in that its periphery is formed with ratchet teeth and carries a rotatable wrench arm |4 having anovercenter pawl which can be 'flipped to one side O'r the other for engagement in either direction with the ratchet teeth as a one-way clutch to rotate the nut |3 forward or backward as desired when the arm l l is swung back and forth. Adjustment of the nut will enable the length of the spreader bar to be changed for tensioning th guy lines 6 and thereby holding the carriers on even keel or for pulling toward one another the submerged bottom portions of the carriers if a tilted keel relation is desired.

When two or more spreader bars with their cooperating tension members are installed between a pair of transport carriers they are employed together as a raft. The steering and driving mechanism of either or both units can be employed for controlling travel and if planks or fiooring elements are laid on the spreader bars the Carrying capacity of the vehicles can be greatly increased either for miscellaneous package Cargo or for larger articles such as land vehicles. Loads carried by the rigid spreader bar support structures will be distributed between the carriers and transmitted at the opposite ends of the spreader bars into the neighboring side portions of the carriers. Thus there will be a tendency to depress each carrier more on one side than on the other but that tendency is resisted by the diagonal tension members 6--6 to maintain both carriers on even keel.

In Figure 3 longitudinally extending Vehicle treadways |5 are laid on a series of three spreader bar supporting structure located respectively near the bow, near midship and near the stern. For ease of handling each tread is in two longitudinally aligned sections and each straddles the space between a pair of spreader bars with opposite ends supported by and fastened to the bars and together the several treadways and supporting bars form a rigid rectangular assembly. Removable loading ramps IG are indicated by broken lines leading to the treadways from solid ground and on which the Vehicle to be ferried may be wheeled to and from loaded position. For reinforcing the spreader bar beam there may be employed with it a truss cable I'l secured at opposite ends near opposite ends of the bar together with a Vertical post IB having seats at opposite ends to engage intermediate portions of the bar 8 and truss cable l'I. As shown in Figure 9 the Vertical post consists of a screW jack or spreader which can be adjusted in length to fit the parts and place initial tension on the cable I'I.

For loads heavier than can be safely transported on a single pair of interconnected carriers it is proposed to arrangetwo pairs of carriers in tandem as seen in Figure 6. The load illustrated is a military tank and is positioned centrally of the carriers on treadways which are supported by the midship and stern supporting beams of the forward pair of carriers and by the bow and midship supporting beams on'the' rearward pair of carriers. Thus the load is distributed equally and the application 'of the load amidships prevents stern dipping of the forward carriers and bow dipping of the rearward carriers.

For a better distribution of weight during loading and unloading of a wheeled Vehicle on a pair of interconnected carriers the arrangement of Figure 1 has been devised. In this View it can be assumed that the carriers are either supported by the ground Wheels or floated with the bow end at a loading shore. Stationary tread sections Is are supported at opposite ends by spreader 'bar beams fastened near the stern'and amidship. Swinging ramp sections project forwardly and may-be .considered as Testing on the ground at their forward ends. Thus the load carried by the ramps is transferred into the carriersnear their longitudinal centers and eliminates nose 'squatting of ,the carriers. In the region of the bow a transverse elevator :bar 20 extends across and under the ramps and has its opposite ends fastened to cables 21. From the elevator bar 20 each cable 2| runs upward and ,over a pulley 22 above the deck and then around a -pulley 23 to a block 24. One end of another cable 25 is anchored at any convenient place on the Carrier :and the cable 25 runs through the block 24 with its opposite end secured to the winding drum of the powerwinch 3. Operation of the winches in unison 'Controls raising .and lowering of the elevator bar 20 for positioning the ramps. In the loaded transport position, the ramps will be elevated into horizontal alignment with the fixed treads 19. For convenience ,in handling, the fixed tread and the ramps are made in short sections and the two ramp sections associated With each tread |9 are indicated at 26 and 21, respectively. The adjacent ends of the successive tread sections are hingedly bolted together which enables them to be folded over one another when setting up or dismantling the parts. The sections 26 and 21 when extended are preferably provided with longitudinally extending truss cables 23, each engaged at its apex with one of the short length spreader posts l8.

The spreader posts IS can be utilized in place of the longer spreader barst if close coupling of the carriers is desired. A close couple is better adapted for some work, such as the erection of a pontoon bridge, as seen in Figure 4. In this figure the short spreader posts IB span the space between adjacent carriers and short length cross stay wires 6' connect the bottom of each Carrier with the top of its neighbor Carrier. In this case the spreader 'bars carry no weight but merely act in compression'to maintain the stay wires in tension' and the carriers in given spaced relation. The flooring is supported above the deck of each Carrier by spacers 29'at both sides. The longer spreader tubes 8 are here made use of as beams projecting transversely across the Vehicle body and resting on the spacers 29. On these bars 8 are laid the 'planks or chess 30 the ends of which are held down by 'balks 3| secured to the tubes 8 by C-clamps 32;

In setting up the bridge one Vehicle is'first moved into position near the shore indicated at 33 with the bow upstream and is attached to the shore by a spring line. Then the tubes 8 are put in place and the chess 30 and balk 3| laid down and clamped to the tubes. Next the second Vehicle is moved into position and the jacks l8 fastened at opposite ends to the coupler hooks of the respective Vehicles. If required the second Vehicle can be lashed to the shore by spring lines and then the cables G' are fastened and tightened by the extension of the jacks l8. The flooring is laid on the second Vehicle and the ramp or gangplank 34 placed between the bridge and the shore and additonal vehicles are added successively in the same fashion until the opposite shore is reached When the several vehicles Combine to afford a fioating bridge. obviously several of the vehicles interconnected in this manner, but not anchored in position, will afford a fioating raft for dry errying purposes.

Wet ferrying of a tank is illustrated in Figure 5.

'It will ,'-be understood that ,tanks as at presen constructed have their undersides enclosed and ;areeither watertight or can easilybemade wa tertight so 'that they have some buoyancy and can be dragged through the Water with the ,lower .parts of their hulls submerged, thus reducing load-on the carriers. Accordingly apair of carriers are coupled by the compression ,and tension members spaced a distance apart to receive na tank between them. The four corners of the'tank are then connected by drag lines or mooring Chains 35 to the sides ofthe carriers and are suspended thereby .for their transportation through -the Water. For ship to shore transport, the am- -phibians are first lowered into the water by a :boat

,boom and then the tank is similarly lowered as the amphibians are maneuvered alongside andby 'means of the gear ,described is cradled fiexibly gether while on shore 01' in shallow water and then driven as aunit into deep water and similarly they may be driven On the beach of the opposite shore before being uncoupled. Loading or dry ferrying also can be done from Ship, in shallow water or On dry land. Long distance land travel of coupled vehicles is unlikelyto be occasioned but land travel is easible especially in connection with contemplated use for raising and towing a land Vehicle which has become disabled or bogged in a shell hole or quagmire. i

'I claim:

1. In combination, a .pair of transport conveyances normally usable independently of one another, -means 'to connect said conveyances side by 'side for occasional conjoint use, including a plurality of anchorage fastenings arranged in upper and lower groups at' the 'sides of said conveyances, a compression strut extending between said conveyances and having opposite ends joined to upper anchorage fastenings, a 'tension 'member Veyance and a second tension member connected at One end With an upper fastening on the last -mentioned Conveyanoe and connected at its opposite end With a lower fastening on the companion conveyance, said tension members extending .diagonally between the conveyances, one diagonally downward and the other diagonally upward from the same conveyance.

2. For use with a pair of conveyances designed for individual operation, means tocouple det-achably said conveyances at will for com'oint usei-n side by side relation, including a pair of cooperating tension members extending diagonally upwardly and downwardly respectively from one to the other of said conveyances and a compression member exetnding horizontally between said conveyances above said tension members.

n3. The structure of claim 2 wherein the compression member embodies adjustable spreader mechanism to enable variation in length thereof.

4. In combination, a pair of buoyant bodies arranged to float side by side, a tension member extending upwardly from an attachment near the bottom of one body to an attachment near the top of the other body, another tension member extending upwardly from an attachment near the ;bottom of the last mentioned body to an attachment near the top of the other body and an adjustable spreader -bar extending transversely between the bodies above the water line and maintaining said members under tension.

5. In combination, a pair of transport bodies arranged side by side in spaced relation, connections between the bodies extending across said space and including a series of diagonally disposed tension members and a rigid compression member, certain of said tension members connecting said bodies at points vertically spaced in relation to one another and other of said tension members connecting said bodies at points longitu-dinally spaced in relation to one another.

6. In combination, a series of individual transport carriers, means selectively coupling said carriers in pairs in side by side spaced relation comprising a series of longitudinally spaced spreader bars having opposite ends detachably connected with neighboring carriers and extending across the space therebetween, means to support the load to be carried on said bars, and a series of tension members extend-ing diagonally between anchorage attachments on neighboring carriers, said attachments for certain of the tension members being in vertically spaced relation to keep the carriers on even keel and those for other of the tension members being in longitudinally spaced relation to keep the carriers transversely aligned. v

7. In combination, a series of individual transport carriers, means selectively coupling said carriers in pairs in side by side spaced relation comprising a series of longitudinally spaced spreader bars extending across the space between and joined to neighboring carriers and diagonal ties cooperating with the spreader bars to resist Carrier tilting off keel and a load carrying platform bridging the space between a tandem set of two pairs of joined carriers, with one end portion of the platform supported on a spreader bar of one pair of carriers and its opposite end portion supported on a spreader bar of the other pair of carriers.

8. In combination, a series of individual transport carriers, means selectively coupling said carriers in pairs in side by side spaced relation comprising a series of longitudinally spaced spreader bars extending across the space between and joined to neighboring carriers and diagonal ties Cooperating with the spreader bars to resist carrier tilting off keel and load suspension means hanging from the adjacent sides of the joined carriers for locating a dependent load contained within the space between the carriers.

9. In combination, a series of individual transport carriers, means selectively coupling said carriers in pairs in side by side spaced relation comprising a series of longitudinally spaced spreader bars extending across the space between and joinedto neighboring carriers and diagonal ties cooperating with the spreader bars to resist'carrier tilting oflf keel and a pair of track rails extending longitudinally across the several spreader bars and resting thereon to receive the load.

10. ln combination, a series of individual transport carriers, means selectively coupling said carriers in pairs in side by side spaced relation comprising a series of longitudinally spaced spreader bars extending across the space between and joined to neighboring carriers and diagonal ties cooperating with the spreader bars to resist Carrier tilting off keel and a gangway 'supported above each Carrier with opposite overhanging ends projected beyond the Carrier a distance of substantially half the space between neighboring carriers for cooperation with other 'a'djoining gangways in affording a continuous platform across a transverse succession of carriers.

11. In combination, a pair of individual transport carriers arranged side by side in spaced relation, means to support a load over the space between the carriers, including a transverse support bridging said space in the region of the longitudinal center of the carriers, another support spaced longitudinally from the first support, a pair of fixed track rails extending longitudinally between and resting on said supports, a pair of adjustable ramps arranged as longitudinally aligned continuations of said tracks, means hingedly mounting the ramps for support by the first mentioned support, an elevator support engaging the ramps in longitudinally spaced relation with the first mentioned support and means operatively connected with the elevator support 'to raise or' lower the ramps about their pivot mountings to or from horizontal alignment with' said tracks.

12. In combination with a pair of transport carriers at least one of which has a power hoist thereon, of means for coupling said carriers in side by side spaced relation and for supporting 'a load therebetween, including a fixed platform bridging said space and terminating at one end in the region of the longitudinal center of the combination, a vertically adjustable ramp pivotally mounted on said end of the fixed platform and .elevator means operatively connected with said hoist for raising and lowering said ramp about its pivot mounting.

EDWIN T. TODD. 

